For months now, the Federal Way News has served as a public soapbox for both sides of the heated debate concerning the fate of the city's political system.

As responsible journalists, we've run letters to the editor, fielded numerous requests to print op-ed pieces and maintained a steadfast commitment to giving both sides of the issue an objective platform from which each has presented their case to voters.

We owe it to our readers and the citizens of Federal Way to properly and fairly give them the information they need to cast their ballot.

What we haven't done throughout this debate, until now, is share our opinion.

Both sides seem to focus on the word "accountability," a term most of often heralded by ACT (or Accountability Comes to Town).

Their goal, as they've succeeded in defining it at least, emphasizes the need for greater accountability in city government. They believe a strongly elected mayor would provide a more unified voice in City Hall, as well as a single platform that answered to the voting public.

Across the isle, the group Federal Way Works contends that the city's current council-manager form of government maximizes accountability, focusing on a democratic process among the seven-member, popularly elected city council and a non-partisan, qualified city manager.

A government run by professionals, they say, works more efficiently-and with greater accountability to the public-than one dominated by politicos.

Watching our young city mature in these last 18 years, we tend to agree.

Our system of government works, our elected councilmembers have a unified vision for growth and progress, and they've hired an experienced city manager from a nationwide search who is committed and qualified to help carry out that vision.

As an active member in the community, we feel strongly that the current movement to transform Federal Way's government to a strong mayor platform is as counterproductive as it is shortsighted.

In many ways, Federal Way continues to recover from the days of strong mayor-led politics, when King County flung its suburban sprawl across Federal Way decades ago.

Our community fought against an unaccountable government that did not adhere to pleas to reign in the uber-development trends that covered the region in apartment buildings, over-taxed our roadways, and left an incongruous patchwork of retail that has left our city without much of a visual identity.

In our opinion, the argument over the city's political structure pits those that continue to push for an economically prosperous, cleaner and safer community against those who prefer it the way it was, or lack the desire to invest in the growth and progress of their community.

And as ACT and its supporters continue to offer their opinions, we have become increasingly convinced their beef with the council-manager government is personal.

It's not about the conceptual roles of a city manager; it's an attack on Neal Beats. Their argument doesn't truthfully call into question the effectiveness of a popularly elected, non-partisan city council; it points a finger in the face of those councilmembers who share a different vision than they.

And since they couldn't gather enough popular support to democratically vote them from office during the general elections (read: the majority of voters approved of the councilmember's performance) they've attempted to circumvent the system by whittling away the integrity of government structure that has worked well for Federal Way.

The January 15 debate, and the outrageous testimony from Frosty and Galya Hardison, brought the true ambitions of this group into the public spotlight.

And if ACT doesn't share the Hardisons' personal vendetta against the current city council and city manager, then we do not understand why the organization gave them the floor to speak on their behalf.

In the court of public opinion, ACT's credibility dwindled with each angry outburst and every undocumented, unsupported statistic the Hardisons delivered.

Circumventing the democratic system to execute a philosophical coup d'etat hardly sets an example of accountability.

Yes, our voice is just one in this growing shouting match. But we believe you'll see-after February 19-that we speak with the majority.